Jaat might not have exploded at the box office, but director Gopichand Malineni is still moving forward. Just days after the film’s release, he announced Jaat 2. The sequel was not a random move, it was always part of his plan.
During a recent media interview, Malineni shared, “In the film, the last sequence is a lead-in for the sequel. I was confident while shooting Jaat that it will work well for us to make a second part.”
Gopichand Malineni On What Affected The Film’s Opening
The film features Sunny Deol and Saiyami Kher. Many expected it to do well, especially after Deol’s huge comeback with Gadar 2. But this time, the film didn’t make a big splash. It has earned around Rs 62 crore so far.
Malineni pointed out that a delay in the censor board clearance affected the film’s opening. He said, “The censor clearance got delayed. So, our advance booking window opened only a day before the release. Had it opened two-three days earlier, we would’ve got bigger opening numbers. But since then, it has only grown.”
Jaat Director On Recent Controversy
But the real trouble began after the release. A particular scene sparked protests from the Christian community. It showed Randeep Hooda standing in a church in a pose that resembled Christ’s crucifixion. This led to an FIR being filed in Punjab against Deol, Hooda, Malineni and producer Naveen Yerneni.
Malineni said the team had already made changes before the backlash began. He explained, “The censor board didn’t mention anything for the trailer cut, but later, it told us to blur the background in the film print. It was done even before people objected.”
He added, “No filmmaker wants to hurt any people or community. We want to entertain them.”
To address the issue, the makers eventually removed the entire scene. They also issued an apology. “Our intention was not to hurt any religious sentiments… We sincerely apologise to everyone whose beliefs have been hurt.”
Jaat Director Wants To Work With Salman & SRK
Right now, Malineni is preparing for a Telugu film, which will go on floors in June. After that, he plans to focus on Jaat 2.
He also hopes to work with two of Bollywood’s biggest stars. He said, “I want to work with Salman [Khan] and Shah Rukh [Khan] sir in mass entertainers and show how I imagine them as heroes.”
For the unversed, Jaat was released on April 10 and is currently running in theatres nearby. Apart from Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda, it also stars Saiyami Kher and Regina Cassandra in pivotal roles.
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